Steve Hammond, one of the labor union’s top negotiators, had fought for years to get higher pay and better working conditions. Maybe most enraging, they had no leverage to bargain for a better deal. They were being paid less, after adjusting for inflation, than they were paid in the 1980s. Their jobs making wood and paper products for a division called Georgia Pacific had become downright dangerous, with spikes in injuries and even deaths. The things that enraged them were probably recognizable to anyone who earns a paycheck in America today. The union members felt powerless, cornered, and betrayed by their own leaders. Union members were voting on a new contract with their employer, Koch Industries. It happened on February 17, 2016, in a rundown labor union hall in Portland, Oregon. The election season of 20 was defined by chaos, infighting and a pool of deep resentment that came boiling over when votes were cast.
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